Lansing - The residents of Potter Park Zoo received a welcome addition to their community Friday.

The zoo, 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., opened the Rotary Club of Lansing Animal Care Hospital in a ceremony which included Lansing Mayor David Hollister.

Hollister praised the support of the Rotary Club of Lansing, which donated $50,000 for the facility, before cutting the ribbon to announce the opening of the facility.

“This is a great tribute to the continuing power of partnership,” Hollister said.

The club raised the money over the last year under the guidance of former Rotary Club of Lansing Foundation President Patricia Reynolds, said Jim Phillips, the foundation’s current president.

“We were looking for ways to give back to the community,” Phillips said. “Ways that would impact the largest number of people and last over time.”

The donation from the club ended an 18-month effort by the mayor’s office and the zoo to construct the hospital, Hollister said.

The hospital became a topic of discussion between the mayor’s office and the club because of its significance to the Lansing community.

“The hospital helps the zoo, and the zoo helps the community,” Hollister said. “Everyone of all ages enjoys the zoo - adults, teenagers, kids.”

The hospital holds many advantages for the zoo itself.

It will alleviate many of the problems veterinarians at the zoo have had when treating animals at the park, said Jim Sikarskie, a zoo doctor and associate professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences.

“Before, we had to treat animals on exhibit,” he said. “We had to try to maintain sterility in barn-type conditions.”

The hospital will also keep the zoo within the standards necessary for accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Sikarskie said.

Potter Park Zoo has been accredited for five years, but the standards for accreditation have changed, and the zoo will be reviewed by the association in the next year, he said.

“Accreditation basically means that we’re a good zoo,” he said. “It says that we ensure the welfare of the animals and the safety of the people.”

The hospital will also fulfill educational needs.

Windows to the outside will allow the public to observe minor operations, Sikarskie said.

“The public can watch if I’m not too nervous,” he said. “We’ll try to have someone outside explaining the operation, or there will be a speaker so I can explain it.”

The hospital will also provide education opportunities for students.

“We use the zoo as a teaching facility for students.” Sikarskie said. “We bring students here all the time.”

These opportunities will not be available immediately, though.

The hospital still needs equipment and manpower to complete the facility, Sikarskie said.

“Everyone’s here with the same jobs, but we need more positions for the hospital,” he said. “We’re looking for donations of equipment or money for another keeper to man the hospital.”